Closure fastener for food storage containers



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. A. VERHEYDEN' ETAL CLOSURE FASTENER FOR FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS 525 x35/ jig-F56 April 3, 1951 Filed Nov. 6, 1945 ATTORNEYI April 3, 1951 J. A. VERHEYDEN ET AL 2,547,133

cLosURE FASTENER RoR Roon STORAGE CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 6, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7NVENTORS: a?

ATTO/@V545 April 3, 1951 J. A. VERHEYDEN ETAL cLosURE FASTENER FOR FooD STORAGE CONTAINERS-ff;

3 Sheet-s- Shee'cv 3 Filed Nov. 6, 1945 A fm2/v5 Patented pr. 3, 1951 CLOSURE FASTENER FOR FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS James A. verheyden, oak Lawn, and Frank Haloski, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Vacuum Can Company, a corporation of Illinois original application June 1o, 1944, Vserial No.V 539,626. Divided and this application November 6, 1945, Serial No. 627,036

l t This application is a division of our copending U. S. application Serial Number 539,626, now Pat- K ent No. 2,519,862, dated August 2,2, 1950.

This invention relates to containers designed particularly for the purpose ofy storing foods in such a manner as to maintain the temperature thereof for a considerable period of time, and although the device herein disclosed is particularly designed for food storage purposes, it will be apparent that it may have other similar uses.A

In general, the container herein disclosed embodies an inner container and an outer container interconnected at their mouth ends, and so related that the inner container is elsewhere spaced from the outer container to provide a chamber which may be vacuumized to thereby produce an efficiently insulated inner container which will be adapted to store food (or other materials), and to maintain the temperature of the food for a considerable period of time, r

A cover orY closure for the insulated container is provided, the cover being also preferably of an insulated construction to cooperate with the insulated container to maintain the temperature of the stored food.

In connection with the insulated container structure, a plurality of food containing pans, each having its own cover, are provided vfor positioning within the insulated container. The food pans are preferably ofA such size that they will fairly snugly but freely removably t within the inner container, and they are arranged one upon the other in the inner container.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved insulatedcontainer structure which can be produced economically and at relatively low cost; to provide such a container wherein the inner member is effectively supported from its mouth end portion in the desired spaced relation to the outer container; to provide a cover structure which may also be made economically and at relatively low cost, but which will be highly eicient in respect of its insulating properties; to provide means for effectively sealing the joint between the cover and the container when the cover is applied to the container; to yprovide means whereby the cover may be easily applied or removed while at the same time attaining the desired' effective seal between the cover and the container; to provide an'inner container or pan structure including a removable cover which may be releasably locked tothe pan proper by means located wholly within the outer periphery of the pan; to provide pan cover sealing means which will effectively prevent leakage of the contained 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-55) foods from the pan when the cover of the pan is locked in place on the pan; and, in general, it 1s the object of the invention to provide a temperature-maintaining storage container of the class described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (three sheets) wherein there is illustrated a temperature-maintaining food storage container embodying a selected form of the invention, together with a modification thereof. e

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the` axis of the container selected for illustration herein; the plane of the section of Fig. 1 is indicated by the line I I of Fig. 3.

Fig. V2 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portionof. the structure, corresponding to a portion thereof shown in Fig. 1;

Fig 3 is a plan, certain portions being broken away to reveal certain interior details;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections respectively on the lines 4 4 and 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the upper portion of La container corresponding to the container shown in Fig. 1, but illustrating a modied form 4of cover construction;

Fig. 7 is a plan of the construction shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a section corresponding to Fig. 8 but showing a changed position of certain parts; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section on the line Iiii0 of-Figs. 1 and 3.

. The temperature-maintaining food storage container herein disclosed comprises an inner container or receptacle IB, preferably made of stainless steel, a sheet of which is rolled into cylindrical form to provide the side wall Il of the inner container. 'Ihe side wall part of the body terminates at its upper end,` as indicated at l2, and at its lower end as indicated at i3. A bottom member I4, also preferably of stainless steel, is stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet of said material so as to provide an upwardly extending cylindrical ange part I5, an upper marginal portion I6 of which is oiiset outwardly to provide a seat for the lower marginal portion I1 of said cylindrical body member. A lapped seam is thus formed between the upper marginal portion of the bottom member 14, and the side wall member`ll, and said seam is preferably welded kcontinuously around the circumference of the container so asuto provide an air-tight joint between the parts. f -Thecylindrical container bodies may, of course,

be formed from tubular metal, if preferred. However, such tubular metal is substantially more expensive than sheet metal, the difference in cost being more than enough to offset the added cost of rolling the sheets into cylindrical form and uniting the meeting edges. As shown in the drawings, the outer container body part has its v meeting edge portions lapped at 43, and the inner container wall part is similarly lapped as indif cated at 44. These lapped joints are preferably welded, or otherwise united continuously throughout the length of the respective laps toprovide air-tight joints.

In forming the vertical lap seams 43 and 44, one marginal portion is preferably Offset outwardly to the extent of the thickness of .the sheet metal, so that the inside surface, especially with respect to the inner container, is smooth and continuous, or flush at the joint.

The offsetting may be reversely arranged with respect to the outer container so as to maintain the outside surface smooth, or hush at the joint, although this is of less importance than the maintenance of a smooth inside surface in the inner container.

The outer container I8, also preferably formed of stainless steel, comprises a cylindrical side wall member I9 formed of a sheet of the said material rolled to the desired cylindrical form. Circumferentially extendingvreinforcing ribs, such as inf dicated at 2Q, are also preferably rolled into the outer container side wall so that notwithstanding the thinness of the sheet material from which the outer container is formed, and notwithstanding a fairly large diameter, the outer container will maintain its desired cylindrical form. The outer side wall structure I9 is provided with a bottom member 2| which may be formed by stamping or by any other suitable method, .said bottom member being preferably arched upwardly from its periphery as shown. At its periphery, the bottom member is provided with a flange 22, the outside diameter of the flanged portion of the bottom member being such that it fits snugly within the lower marginal portion of the side wal1 member I9. The joint between the flange 22 of the bottom member and the adjacent lower marginal portion of the 'side wall i 9 is preferably' welded continuously around the body 'so as to provide an air-tight joint between the parts. Alf though welding is mentioned, it will, of course, be understood that equivalent securing means such as brazing and soldering may be employed. The bottom of the outer container is reinforced by means of an annular band 23, which f'lts tightly around the outside of the lower marginal portion of the cylindrical side wall I9. "Said 'reinforcing band 23 is preferably, although not necessarily, 1n the form of an endless band, and it is suitably secured permanently in place on the container body. It may be spot welded at points spaced around the circumference of the container, or it may be brazed, or otherwise secured.

The upper end portion of the sidewall i9 of the outer container is connected to the upper end of the inner container side wall as best shown 1n Figs. 1 and 2. A suitably shaped collar `2li has a 1ower marginal portion 2.5 of such size that it w1ll nt snugly around the upper marginal por.- tion 26 of the outer container, and preferably agamst the shoulder formed by the uppermost bead 2c. tions 25 and 25 is also preferablywelded continuously around the container to .form an airtight joint between the parts. :The upper p0r- The joint between the marginal per..-

tion of the collar 24 is reduced in diameter, and is provided with an upwardly extending neck or ange part 21, the inside diameter of which is slightly greater than the outside .diameter of the upper marginal portion of the inner container. An end member 28, preferably of endless annular form, is provided with a lower marginal portion 29, which is interposed between the upper marginal portion 3f] of the inner container and the said neck or flange portion 21 of the outer container collar 24. Said end member 2S may first be welded to the marginal portion 343 of the inner container, the Welding being made continuous around the circumference of the structure, so as to provide an air-tight joint between the parts, and the upper marginal portion 21 of the collar Z4 may thereafter be welded continuously around the circumference of the structure to the flange portion 2B. The welding effect between the parts 30, 29 and 21 may be in the form of seam welds, such as indicated at 3 I.

Slight spaces left between the ends of the various parts and adjacent members may be lled with welding metal or solder, as indicated at 32 for finishing purposes, and for further assuring air-tight joints between the parts.

The end member 23 has its upper portion 3 offset inwardly relative to its lower flange por. tion 29 so that said upper portion 3.4 is in co axial alignment with the said wall Il of the in-l ner container. An upper marginal portion of the end member is turned outwardly, as indie cated at 35, and then downwardly and inwardly' as shown at 36 to embrace a reinforcing mem-f ber 31. The reinforcing member 31 may be in'v the form of a stainless steel` sheet member foldJ ed upon itself and rolled into annular form so as to provide the inner and outer legs 32 and. 3S respectively, the upper or folded edge 'porJ tion of the member being bent outwardly to form the horizontally extending flange p'a`,rt 1vhic h is1 embraced by the end member portions 35 and Eil.v

As best shown in Fig. 2, the neck or' ilanf part 21 of the collar 24 has its upper edgeper-Y tion swaged or otherwise oset inwardly to conf' form to the outer surface of the end member 28. The two-ply reinforcing member comprising the legs 38 and 39 adds sufficient thickness to the end member 28 to causek the outer diameter of the leg .39 to equal or' exceed the outer diameter of the neck part 21, whereby not only strength is imparted to the mouth end of the container, but appearance is somewhat improved.

The described mouth end construction is of considerable importance because of the rigidity attained by it. VIt will be readily understcodthat the mouth end of the container is subject to a considerable amount of bumping, and other forces which tend to deform it. Inasmuch as the upper surface portion 4t of the mouth end is relied upon for forming an air-tight joint between the mouth of the container and the cover. it is particularly important that said surface et. be smooth and free from dents or other irregularities. tion is very effective in maintaining a smooth sealing surface 453 on the mouth end of the container.

The inner container Ill is rigidly united to the outer container incident to the described mouth construction, and the inner container is therel The described reinforced construe-f sula'ting space between them. Similarly, the length or depth of the inner container relative to the depth of the outer container is such that the desired amount of insulating Space isY also provided between the :bottoms lll and 2| of the inner and outer containers.

The space between the inner and outer containers may be vacuumized by suitable exhausting means connected to said space through a port 4| provided in the side wall of the outer container, preferably near its upper end as shown. When the insulating chamber has been suitably exhausted, the portV d! may be closed by mea-ns of a name plate, or like member d2, which may be soldered, or otherwise secured to the wall of the container. f

A cover 33 for the insulated container is also preferably of insulated construction. In this instance, a cover is shown as comprising an inner pan-shaped member @5, embodying an inner wall 46 and a slightly upwardly and outwardly flaring peripheral flange dl. .At its upper end, the ilange dl is turned outwardly to provide a substantially horizontal portion 48, and then downwardly and slightly upwardly, as shown at 49. The outer, or top, member 5t or" the cover embodies a central portion 5|, which is slightly concaved or dished downwardly from a surrounding peripheral portion 52, which is substantially parallel to the plane of the portion i5 of the inner member. The outer member 5S4 is also provided with a peripheral flange portion 53 which is bent downwardly over the outside of the peripheral flange portion 49 of the inner member, and securely united thereto. The lower edge portion of the peripheral flange 53 may be rolled inwardly over the lower edge of the peripheral iiange 49 of the inner member to secure the inner and outer parts together. The mutually lappingflange portions i9 and 53 may also be welded together continuously around the circumference of the cover member so as to provide an air-tight joint between lthe parts. A satisfactory degree of vacuum isobtained in the space between the cover members d5 and 5| by uniting these parts while quite hot, so Vthat when the heated air contained between the parts cools, it becomes somewhat rarefied. If desired, additional provision may be made for exhausting the hollow part of the cover'by suitable pump means.

The depending peripheral flanges Si and 53 of the inner and outer members ofN the cover cooperate with the flange portion el of the inner member to form a fairly deep channel, in which there is positioned a moderately soit, heat-proof rubber or like gasket 5d. The gasket may fit snugly enough around the flange portion li? to" be frictionally held against separation from the cover when the latter is removed from the container, whereby said gasket will remain associated with the cover at all times.

L. Suitable clamp means is provided forlocking the cover in place on the mouth end of the container, the means being preferably such that the cover will be clamped against the mouth end of the container with sufficient forcev to at least slightly compress the gasket member Eid, to thereby eiectivel;7 seal the joint between the cover and the container, l

, The cover attaching means shown in Figs. 1,-3 and 4 comprises three equally spaced hooks 55, respectively pivoted to the cover structure through the agency of suitable brackets, such as indicated at 5B, and pivot pins such as indicated at 5l. The brackets 5B may be of stamped sheet metal simultaneous operation. For this purpose, there `6 construction, embodying upstanding parallel side flanges and laterally extending base flanges which may rest on and be spot welded, or otherwise secured to, the flat peripheral portion 52 of the upper cover member 5B. The lower end portions of the hooks 55 are so shaped that when the upper portions thereof are rocked outwardly, the lower ends 58 of the hooks will engage against the underside of the laterally outwardly extending mouth rim of the container structure, with sumcient force .to require ,some compression of the sealing gasket '54.

The three locking dogs 55 are interconnected for is provided av handle member 59 on a diametrically disposed bar. 60. One end of the bar 6B has one of the locking hooks 55 pivotally connected to it,

` as shown atl, and the other end'of the bar 6D is adapted to cooperate with a locking member, which will presently be described. The other two locking hooks are connected to the locking bar by means of links 62-6'2 which are pivotally connected at their outer ends, as indicated at 63, to the respective locking hooks 55. The innei` ends of the links`52-52 are pivotally connected to the bar 60 substantially in alignment with the axis of the cover, ball and .socket connections n such as indicated at 64 being provided for this purpose. As shown in Fig. l0, the bar 60 is provided with inwardly offset portions 65 forming inner socket portions, and with suitably formed annular members S6 secured to the outside of the bar to cooperate with the portions t5 thereof to form the required ball retaining socket. The connecting links 62 have secured to them ball members 6'! which are anchored in the sockets formed in said bar 65.

It will be seen that when the parts are properly proportioned, the links 62, together with one portion of the bar 60, constitute a three-armed toggle, which when pressed downwardly will spread the upper arm portions of thelocking hooks 55, to thereby cause the hooks to engage the mouth rim of the container, as already explained. An over-the-center locking eiect may be obtained by so proportioning the parts that the central connection 64 between the arms of the toggle structure, will pass downwardly beyond the plane of the pivots 6|. The resiliency of the gasket 54 is sufficient to permit ksuch over-the-center toggle action, whereby the cover structure is made selflocking on the container.

For positively locking the hooks in cover-attaching position, there is provided a locking device adapted to engage the free end 68 of the bar 6B.

This locking device consists of a member 69, pivoted as shown at 1|) on a bracket element 1l,

which is rigidly secured to the cover and extends upwardly therefrom. The locking member l f comprises an inverted U-shaped portion l2 and a lever part 13 whichextends inwardly from one ofthe sides of the U-shaped part l2. The lever part l'3 carries a pin lll, which is engageable by the loweredge "l5 of the bar 60. When the bar 60 is pressed downwardly to lock the cover in place, its lower edge 'i5 engages the pin ld, and thereby rocks the locking member 69 in such a direction as to cause its inverted U-shaped part 12 to move over the free end portion B8 of the bar 60, as is best illustrated in Fig. 4.

It'will be apparent that whenupward force is applied to the bar SQ, the U-shaped locking part 12 will be eiective to prevent upward movement of the bar 60 relative to the cover structure, and

further, that since the direction of force applied.

by the outer end portion `158 of the gbar, :against the overlying part `of the locking member is 'substantially upwardly, there is no tendency to rock said member 'I2 outwardly to the disengaged position in which itis illustrated in Fig. 1.

` For unlocking the structure to permit the vvbar 6l) to be raised, the varm portion 13 is Vprovided with a ledge or flange 'IB to facilitate Vmanual rocking of the member 12 to the unlocked position shown. Such outward rocking of the member 12 also causes the pin 14 to engage the lower edge of the bar 60, and to effect an initial upward movement of the bar 160 which may, if desired, be

suiiicient to break the over-the-center lock already described. Then, when the .cover 4structure is grasped, and lifted upwardly by means lof Vits handle 59, the locking hooks 55 will be `completely disengaged from the rim of the container, so that the cover may be removed therefrom. The unlocked position of one of the hooks 55 is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that when the cover is applied and locked to the container by the described locking hook 55, the container may be carried about by means of the handle 5S.. When the cover is to be removed, the locking vmember S9 is adjusted to open position, land the cover pulled'upwarrlly through the agency yof the `handle wherebythe locking hooks are automatically rockedoutwardly so as to be disengaged. The locking hooks 55 are maintained in their unlocked position so long as the cover is suspended from the handle k59, so that when the cover is to be applied to thecontainer, said hooks are automatically held 'in van out or open position, permitting the Acover to be set in place without any interference from the locking hooks. Locking of the cover is vaccomplished merely as a continuation of the application of the cover to the container by continuing the downward movement of the handle 59 and bar 6U, which automatically rocks the locking hooks to locking position, .as already explained. lThe downward movement of the hook-actuating bar 60 is limited by engagement of the free end portion B8 of the bar 50 with the upper end portion of the bracket member 7|, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Hence, downward lmovement -cf 'the member Si! to the required over-the-center locking position is limited to the proper extent.

The cover structure may be simplied Vsomewhat by providing a series of independently manually adjustable locking devices, thereby to eliminate the interconnecting three-arm toggle structure of the above described construction. Such a modiiied arrangement is shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9.

In the modied arrangement, the cover Y33 embodying the same inner, outer and rim 'construction as previously described, is provided with three relatively independent, radially arranged locking members spaced uniformly around the circumference of the cover. Each locking member embodies a hook member l?, which is lpivotally connected at its upper end, as shown at 11a, to an end portion 18 of a lever '19. Each lever I9 is pivoted, as indicated at 80 to and between a pair of upstanding ears 8|-8l which have base ears 82-82 welded or otherwise `iixedly secured to the top of the cover near its periphery. The hook i has its lower end provided with an upwardly iacing portion 83, which is adapted to engage under the rim of the container. The upper end portion of the hook 'il is provided with an inwardly extending arm part 84, through which the pivot T8 extends to connect the 'hook member to the operating lever 19. vThe `pivot 11a is so located with reference to the pivot that when the hook member 11 is in cover locking position, there is lan over-the-center locking effect which :is suflicient to .normally prevent self, or unintentional release of the locking hooks. As best shown in Fig. 8, the axis ci the pivot 11a is located suiiiciently to the left or inwardly of the axis of the pivot 80 that a line of force drawn through the axis of the pivot Vla and through the rim engaging hook portion B3 will be to the left or inwardly of the axis of the pivot pin 80, wherefore the expansive force of the sealing gasket 54 will tend to rock pivot lla counterclockwise around the pivot 80, rather than in the opposite direction which would effect releasing of the locking hook. The counterclockwise, or over-the-center locking action of the hook 'Il is limited by engagement of the free end of the operating lever 'I9 with the top of the cover structure.

When it is desired to open the container, each of the hooks 1l is released, or opened, by lifting the respective levers 'i9 upwardly. Upward and outward, or clockwise rocking movement of the lever 19 when viewed in the position of Fig. 8, first effects movement of the locking hook pivot 'Ha over the axis of the pivot 30, to thereby overcome the over-the-center, or self-locking action already described. When the said over-thecenter locking action is overcome, the expansive force of the gasket 54 aids the unlocking movement, which is completed by continuing the movement of the operating lever 19 to the upwardly extending position substantially as illustrated in Fig. 9. The opening movement of the lever 19 is limited to the position illustrated by engagement of a surface portion 85 of the hook part 84 with the top surface 8B of a stop member, or block 89, which is mounted on the top of the cover under the path of movement of said hook portion 84 and between the ears ill-8|. Said engagement of the hook member I1 with the block member 39 serves also to maintain the hook member 11 in its fully opened position, as shown in Fig. 9, whereby said locking hooks yare held out 0f the way to permit unhindered application of the cover to the container. As shown in Fig. 9, most of the locking hook is disposed outwardly of the pivot 80 when the hook is in open or unlocked position so that the outboard weight of the hook will normally automatically maintain the hook and the lever 'l in the illustrated open position. When the cover is properly applied to the container, the operating arms 19 of the locking device may be rocked inwardly and downwardly to eiect the locking engagement, as described and as illustrated in Fig. 8. When the locks 11 are in cover-locking position, the container may be carried about through the agency of the handle 59a which, in this instance, is secured directly to the top member of the cover structure.

The container, as described, is adapted to house a plurality of relatively independent food pans, which may be of more or less conventional construction. However, it is preferred that the food pans each be provided with its own cover structure, and it is further preferable that the food pans be of such size that they will occupy substantially all of the space within the container without being such a snug t that the insertion and remo al of the pans will be resisted "by a piston-like action in the inner container. -It is also preferable that the cover for each food 'pan be independently locked to its own pan.

Accordingly, there are provided a series of gaat pans, in this instance four. pansy respectively designateds. Each of the pans 90 comprises a pan proper,` or receptacle, having a bottom wall 9|, ,an annular side wall 92, an upper marginal portion `93 of which is turned inwardly at an inclinedangle, as shown in Figs. l and 5. The freev upper edge of the angularly extending portion 93.may be rolled upon itself, as shown at 94, to provide a smooth andnon-cutting mouth end fonth'e pan. Each pan 00 is provided with its ownA cover QF).k In this instance, each cover 95' embodies a centrallydownwardly dished orconcave portion 96, a horizontal surrounding portion 97 and a peripheral portion 98, which is suitably formed to provide a downwardly facing channel S9, wherein there'is positioneda suitable rubber, or other-resilient' materialgasket |00. The gasket is adapted to engage the rim 94 of the food pan, and to cooperate with-said rim and the peripheral channel portion of the cover to provide a substantially air-tight joint between the cover and the pan. To maintain such an .air-tight joint, the pansare provided with a series of locking clips lil! adapted to engage circumferentially spaced portions of the cover. In one embodiment of the structure, four clips, such as the clips |0|, are provided at equally spaced distances around the circumference of the pan.

` Each clip I0! comprises a Wire loop having side arms 02 and |03 (see Figs. l and 5),lower end portions of which are bent toward each other to form pivot members l, which are received within a positioning clamp or member 05, which is riveted, or otherwise secured fixedly in place on the inclined portion 93 of the band body.

The upper ends of the side arms |02 and |03 are joined by a cross member |06. The cross member |05 is bent to provide a pair of projecting loop portions |01 and |08 respectively, which are adapted to extend inwardly over the beaded rim |09 of the cover 35, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5. As shown, the angle existing between the plane of the arm portions |02 and |03, and the plane of the loop portionsA |0'| and |08 is preferably an acute angle. The wire clip is formed of metal which is somewhat resilient, so that the ciip may be so proportioned that when the loop portions |0l and m8 thereof are forced over the rim |00 of the cover, there will be a slight stretching of the clip to thereby enable each clip to clampingly hold the cover in place. The side arms |02 and |03 of the clips are preferably bent slightly, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the stretching action referred to may tend to straighten out the said arms. The clips |0| may Vbe readily disengaged by thumb pressure applied against the upper ends of the clips. The clips are effective to clamp the cover to the pan with cess, which wir! register with ana receive the up- Wa'rdly projecting annular portion 98 of the cover -f another unit for stacking and nesting purposes. However, provision of such a channel results in the provision of an upwardly 'extending rib on the inside of the food pan bottom, and such a rib interferes somewhat with the process of clean--E ing the pan'. The mounting of the cover-fastening clips ibi on the inwardly inclined portions 33 'of the food pans keeps the clips within the outside diameter of the food pans so that no space allowance in the food container is required for the clips.

` Thev described structure has been found to be highly ecient and practical. However, certain changes'in thedetails may be made without departing from the invention.

We claim:

l. A container having a mouth opening, and a laterally outwardly extending mouth flange surrounding said mouth opening, a cover for said container adapted to be seated on said mouth fiane'e ,for closing said opening, a plurality of A locking members pivotally mounted on said cover adjacent the periphery thereof and having lower end portions movable laterally inwardly and upwardly of said flange so as to be engageable with th bottom side ofV said iiange for locking vthe cover to the container, a plurality of arms resufficient force to require enough compression of the cover gasket |00y to insure tight sealing of the pan.

Each cover is provided with a handle member ile which straddles the downwardly dished central portion 95 of the cover, whereby adequate finger space is provided to facilitate lifting of the cover by means `of the handle., The handle may be spot welded, or otherwise secured to the cover.

The food pans, including their covers, are of an outside diameter which will fit freely within the main container, as shown in Fig. 1. In the arrangement shown, the pans have flat bottoms so that each pan may be seated on the top surface of the cover portion e8 without any interlocking or nesting relationship. If desired, the pan bottoms may be provided with a slight annular respectively pivotally connected to the upper end portions of said locking members and also to each other; the pivot connections' between said arms and locking members being disposed in a plane common to all and the interconnected ends of said arms being movable transversely of said plane for effecting adjustment of said locking members to and from locking engagement with said flange, and releasablemeans for maintaining said locking members in locking engagement with said flange.

2. A container having a mouth opening, a laterally outwardly extending mouth flange surrounding said mouth opening, a cover for said container adapted to be seated on said mouth flange for closing said opening, a plurality of locking members pivotally mounted on said cover adjacent the periphery thereof and having lower end portions movable laterally inwardly and upwardly of said flange so as to be engageable with the bottom side of said fiange for locking the cover to the container, a plurality of arms respectively pivotal- 1y connected to the upper endportions of said locking members and also to each other, the pivot connections between said arms and locking members being disposed in a plane common to all and the interconnected ends of said arms being movable transversely of said plane for effecting adjustment of said locking members to and from locking engagement with said ange, one of said arms having a portion extending beyond the pivotal connection between said arms, and means f tainer, a plurality of arms overlying said cover and having outer end portions respectively pivotany connected' to' said' locking members; andina Wardly disposed portions pivot'alhf interconnected, a; handle carried'by one of'aid arms for faci'litat` iiigmaniial movement of said inwardly disposed portions toward and from the cover to there'-y by'elect endxvise shifti'ng'ofA the outer end portio'islbf said` arms andV movement of said' locking" me ers' selectively into 'engagement with and` disengagement from said abutment means; there byto" selectively lock the cover to and release the same from' said container, releasable means for' looking said arms in cover-locking position vs'lh'ere-A by the container may be transported'by means of said handle',` and me'an'for moving said releasabl'e means to a'r'rn locking position as4 an incident to'in'overrent or said' arms' to coverlocking position. A'

4;. A container having an end provided With a mouth'openin'g and a laterally' outwardly `e`X- tending' an'ge around said end,"a cover adaptedl to' be"seated "ori said'end Ofthe container'for 'closing lsaid' mouth opening, ai plurality o'f vlockingV hooksimovabl'y mounted on vsaid coverandV engageable` 'with said' a'ng'efor locking the-'cover tothe co'ntain'ela pluralityof arms having outer end portions respectively pivotally connected to said locking'hooks, saidY arms extending radially inwardly from said hooks and having inner end portions' interconnected approximately centrally ft'said kcover member, said inner arm portions beingH movable toward and from the cover to Number 12 thereby eiect radial movement of said outer end. Dole'i'jolsv arid a'jstt ofs'a'idflocliig hook''tl" andV fron'l'ocking engagement "with said'ia e! one' f 'said arms being. extended beyondsaid central connection, I'eans carredmbyvsaid cov'r forengaging' thefre'e'end ofsaid ete'ridearm te' lock the same in cover-locking position', and 'a' handle 'secured to' ysaid extended arm f or facili?Y tatiiig manipulation Lof said 'armsff and locking members and constituting" a handle'f'or ijlrra'isflf 'g'the container when the cover is locked thereon.

JAMES A. VERHEYDEN, FRANK rInLoSKI. nEFERNoEs CITED Ifheu followingureferencesare of record in the file of this` patent UNrT'E'D STATES PATENTS y Name Date Strona.; 065:7;1390. Kcher Jan. 15,J 19,29f Pyott Mar. 2*0, 1932i FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number 

